For A Memory
by A Lovestruck A2
Summary: York finds he's not the only one suffering from Carolina's death; her greatest rival never stopped blaming herself for it.


_**A/N: Hello all, here is another Red versus Blue one-shot that came to me a few days ago and I have been working on in an attempt to get out of some minor writer's block. Unconventional pairing, but I think you'll enjoy it nonetheless. No, it's not smut either. I know, I feel the HERESY gifs already being sent my way…**_

_**Musical inspiration Candle Chant (A Tribute) by DJ Krush**_

**For A Memory**

_Summary: York finds he's not the only one suffering from Carolina's death; her greatest rival never stopped blaming herself for it. _

* * *

Lieutenant Charles Decker sighed and snapped his fingers to get the bartender's attention, looking down at the smooth wood of the bar to hide the misery that brewed like a storm in his eyes. His hand gently brushed the jagged scar that marked his left eye and the bartender came over, pouring him a glass of whiskey. A few ice cubes cracked about inside the glass as the thundering bass music of Club Errera pounded in his ears and he raised the glass to his lips before downing his drink.

The glass hit the bar and once more the familiar burn of the alcohol scorched his throat. He grimaced at the harsh taste a little; he was never one to indulge in liquors, preferring beer himself.

"_York, I believe that you have consumed enough alcohol for one night," _Delta whispered in his head. _"I strongly recommend that you call it a night and start heading home." _

York scoffed and motioned for another drink, sending an irritable thought to his AI unit. _'Shut up, Delta. Log off.' _

The AI muttered something under his breath but disappeared anyway, leaving York's head alone and empty. He hated whenever Delta tried to reprimand him like he was a misguided child. He was one of the best lockpicks in the UNSC, not a schoolboy.

He downed what had possibly been his fifth or sixth drink for that night and stood up from his stool, tossing a few credits out. "Here. Keep the change." How long had it been since his heart was broken by the death of the one he loved the most and he had been unable to save her? If only he managed to convince her to let go of her hatred of Tex and see the bigger picture, perhaps the two of them would be somewhere safe together and free of the Director's grasp.

But she was gone. She was gone now, and there was no chance of that happening. _'Carolina…I'm sorry. I wasn't good enough.'_

With his head low and hands in the pockets of his dark jeans, he plodded out of the nightclub he and Carolina first met, six years ago. It seemed like an eternity, yet he could still remember the little smirk she let grace her lips as she snagged his lighter right out of his hands. Things were so simple back then. There was no Project Freelancer for the two of them to worry about, no leaderboard that would make Carolina slowly lose her mind, no sleepless nights for the both of them.

He ignored the many exotic dancers that tried to catch his attention with a shake of their hips and a peek of their cleavage. He wasn't interested in a one night stand, not when the death of one of the few people he actually gave a shit about was dead. Their attempts to woo him fell on deaf ears and he continued on out the front doors, not really paying attention to where he was going.

He bumped into a blonde woman in a fancy black dress and stumbled, catching himself. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you—"

He stopped mid sentence when he recognized her. His mind was instantly filled with memories of the last time he saw her face, three years ago when the two of them failed to take down the Director and rescue the Alpha AI after discovering what the bastard had done to it. _'No fucking way. It can't be…' _

He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing a mere drunken illusion. When she remained in front of him, he resigned himself to see that it was not a hallucination. "Texas?"

"York…" Texas swallowed a lump in her throat and met his gaze evenly, the two former agents of Project Freelancer staring at each in an awkward silence until the blonde started the conversation up again. "It's…it's good to see you again, York."

"You too, Texas," York said quietly, looking down and pulling out his lighter. It was a nervous habit he had, playing with it the way he did. He never even smoked a day in his life; it was just something he liked to keep on him after taking a liking to it during a vacation to New Alexandria when he was barely out of high school.

"Never thought I'd see you again," he added. "Not since…not since the day we tried to save Alpha from the Director." Dammit, why the hell did it have to be her to find him like this, a depressed drunk waiting for the day he could be reunited with his lost love in death? Why couldn't have been someone like Washington or North Dakota? Hell, he'd settle for even Wyoming, if only to punch the smug asshole in the face.

Texas looked at the lighter and guilt and sorrow filled her bright blue pools. "I'm sorry. It was my fault, wasn't it?"

"Tex…Allison. You didn't know that it would happen." York shook his head; even though part of him wanted to be furious with her and blame her for it, he knew he couldn't be mad at her. "You can't bla—"

"But it was me who made the call to try and take him down. If I didn't do it, Carolina would still be alive." Texas reached behind her and pulled out an M6G magnum, putting it in his hands. "I've been looking for you for a long time, Charlie. I want you to finish what I started. Take the shot, for Carolina."

"Allison…"

"Do it."

York inspected the pistol given to him and pain filled his eyes as he saw the tiny etches carved into the sleek metal. This was the same handgun that Carolina carried with her everywhere she went. It was her good luck charm.

He looked back up at Texas, the blonde woman's face telling him everything. She had never stopped blaming herself for Carolina's death, even after all these years later. York wasn't the only one suffering from the devastating loss. She was, too.

York shook his head and let the pistol fall from his grasp, bringing her in for a hug. Texas froze for a few seconds, but she eventually returned the hug with a strange noise that sounded as close to a sob as York had ever heard from her. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be, Allison," he murmured, keeping her close against his muscular frame. "We won't let him take any more of them. We'll save all of them. Wash, the twins, Massa; all of them. For her, right?"

"Right…" A few wet droplets fell on York's shirt and Texas pulled away to hide her eyes from him. "Don't look at me like this, York. Otherwise I'll never hear the end of it from you."

York cracked a small smile, the first one in far too damn long. "Hey, I won't hold it over your head. Just promise me one thing, Tex. Don't try and throw your life away in some misguided attempt to pay for Carolina. She wouldn't want that, and neither would I for that matter."

"Okay." Texas nodded and leaned into him again. "Thank you, Charles."

"Anytime, Allison. Now let's go make that son of a bitch pay. For Carolina."

"For Carolina."

_**A/N: Felt like doing something like this for awhile, ever since I rewatched the Project Freelancer saga. I think York and Tex have some good chemistry together, as they do trust each other with their lives on multiple occasions. Thanks for reading!**_

_**-DPLxStrife**_

_**C. Strife #5371**_


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